Carbonite Support > Restoring Previous File Versio...

Restoring Previous File Versions

Summary:

Carbonite keeps up to twelve (12) versions of your changed files. Carbonite keeps up to one (1):

  • Daily version for each day of the past week
  • Weekly version for each of the past three (3) weeks
  • Monthly version for each of the previous two (2) months (that the file has been backed up)

Carbonite will also keep at least three (3) versions of a file regardless of age. This is made up of the two (2) most recent files and the original version of the file.

Some factors can affect how many versions of your file are available to restore:

  • How often your computer is turned on
  • When Carbonite can back up
  • How often the file is saved (and when)

See an illustration of versioning below on a file that has been changed and backed up every day.

Versioning

Additionally, frequently changed files are backed up once every 24 hours.

Note: Previous file names cannot be restored. Only one record of the file name is retained, and it is always the latest record.

This article applies to:

Carbonite Plans Products Platforms
Basic, Plus, Prime, Core, Power, and Ultimate (Not sure?) Safe and Safe Pro (Not sure?) Windows only

Solution:

You can restore a previous version of a file using various methods.

The sections below are collapsed. Please click a section title to open / close the appropriate section.

Restoring with the Carbonite Backup Drive

You can open the Carbonite Backup Drive through the File Explorer window (alternatively called Windows Explorer in older Windows operating systems). Within this window, double-click the Carbonite Backup Drive icon.

Carbonite Backup Drive Icon

The Carbonite Backup Drive window will be displayed. To view files and folders in your backup, double-click the Backed Up Files icon. This window will show you the files in your backup, organized just as they are on your computer.

Backed Up Files Icon

Locate the file you wish to restore. Once located, right-click it and select Restore previous versions....

Carbonite Backup Drive: Restore Previous Version

Select the desired version of the file from the list.

Once selected, specify the name and location of the file and click the OK button to restore it.

Restore Previous Version Dialog Box

The Restore to Location: will be automatically populated with the path to the existing file. The word "(Restored)" will be added to the existing filename with the date and time it was backed up. Alternatively, you can enter a different filename and/or save the file to a different location on your computer by clicking the Browse... button and selecting a new location.

Restoring through the Carbonite Submenu

You can restore previous versions through the Carbonite submenu. To begin, locate the file within File Explorer window (alternatively called Windows Explorer in older Windows operating systems).

Once you have located the file you would like to restore a previous version of, right-click the file, hover over the Carbonite submenu, then click Restore previous versions... in the submenu, as shown below.

  • If this option is not present, it usually means that Carbonite has only backed up one version of this file.
Restore Previous Versions by right-clicking in File Explorer

From the previous versions dialog, you can select a version to restore, then specify the name and location of the file and click the OK button to restore it.

Restore Previous Version Dialog Box

The Restore to Location: will be automatically populated with the path to the existing file. The word "(Restored)" will be added to the existing filename with the date and time it was backed up. Alternatively, you can enter a different filename and/or save the file to a different location on your computer by clicking the Browse... button and selecting a new location.

Warning: When restoring the previous version of a file, Carbonite adds the backup date to the file name. This ensures the restored copy is separate from the original. Changing the file name of the restored version to replace the original file will cause the version history of the original file to be overwritten.
Restoring with Search and Restore

You can use Carbonite's Search and Restore feature to restore previous versions of files. To open Search and Restore, right-click the Carbonite icon in the Windows Notification Area and select Search and Restore. If you do not see the Carbonite icon, click the Show hidden icons arrow ( ^ ) to the left of the Notification Area. You can then right-click the Carbonite icon directly, or click and drag it down toward your system clock to always show the Carbonite icon.

Open Search and Restore

Once you have opened Search and Restore, you can search for the file you would like to restore a previous version for by its full or part of its name. Once located, hold the mouse over the entry in the search results and click Actions. In the Actions menu that appears, click Previous versions.

Search and Restore search results

In the Version History screen, you can select a version (or versions) of the selected file to restore. Each version displayed will include information on the versions' modification date, file size, and the file name a restored copy will be given upon restoring. Use the check box selections to select one or more versions, then click the Restore selected versions button to begin restoring.

Restore Previous Versions with Search and Restore

Note: Any previous versions restored through Search and Restore will be restored to the original location of the file.

If for some reason you know a file has been backed up, but is only showing 1 version, please contact support for a missing file issue.

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